Young Love
by KuHana
Summary: What would happen if young Botan met young Hiei in Demon World?
1. An Angel Falls

**I want to take a moment to thank everyone who's left reviews on my other three stories. Reading all of them makes me so happy. I'm still getting use to this program and format so I'm sorry if I didn't replay to your comments, but I do appreciate them and love reading them. Thank you!**

* * *

He ran past the trees with such speed that not even a trained warrior would be able to spot him. His wide eyes narrowed, dark pupils sparking with twisted mirth. The demons trailing him all shouted like foolish animals, waving their weapons around blindly. That was their first mistake. Their second was following him into the dark woods- _his_ dark woods. This is where the flying shadow thrived, luring his victims in for the kill. No demon, no matter how strong they where, could sense anything in the decaying darkness that surrounded the freakishly tall trees like a dome.

Hiei stopped atop a branch, watching the horde of demons below fumble around. One demon pointed towards the northern path while a few others pointed towards the eastern path. Hiei smirked, katana in hand.

Hn, typical, they were already lost. Such fools- outsmarted by a mere child.

He was about to flit down and slice their throats, when a small cry penetrated his ears. Hiei stopped, glancing behind him. The demons below heard it to, and sick smiles split their ugly faces. One started jumping up and down, clapping his hands like a manican, chanting something about 'pretty meat'.

Hiei arched an eyebrow. He had no idea what the fool was going on about.

Again, the cry echoed throughout the dark forest, the tall trees swaying in the wind, almost as if they pitied the owner of that pathetic wail.

"Didja hear that, boss," one of the demons snickered.

The 'boss' grunted. "We'll catch Hiei later." He smirked. "It's been awhile since I ate a little girl."

Hiei scowled. He didn't scene any girl around. Still, he followed the demons, hiding up in the trees. Once he got closer to the cries, he sniffed the air, eyes growing wide when he smelt something akin to purity. That must have been why he couldn't scenes her before- she was not of this world.

The demons below finally came to a small clearing, all hovering over a shaking, small thing. Hiei knelt down, katana now strapped to his hip. The small girl had long, flowing blue hair and was dressed up in a pink kimono. Her long limbs looked awkward scrunched up like that. She was trying to make herself look smaller, but failing miserably.

Hiei should have let the demons kill her. He should have let them cut her apart and spill her organs all over the grassy floor, but something inside him told him to move. His own legs sprang into action, moving solely on instinct. Katana drawn, Hiei swiped, a clean attack that split the small horde of demons apart. Their dark purple blood colored his trees.

Hiei scowled, the smell would linger for a month or so.

The whimpering behind him quieted down a little and if Hiei where to turn his head just so, he'd see the girl's bright pink eyes widen. Her body shook and she scooted away, back pressing up against a tree.

"A-a-are you g-g-going to kill me too?" Her voice came out in such a small whisper and sounded so pathetic. Hiei eyed her, pinning her down with his sharp glare.

"What's your name." It was a demand, not a question.

The girl murmured something, but even with his supernatural hearing, her words were lost on him.

"Speak up, girl!"

"Botan," she said, a little louder.

Hiei nodded, tapping his claws along his katana. "Stand up."

Botan did as he said, using the tree to lean against. Her legs shook, her arms shook, and those eyes of hers watched him with such terror. He smirked and flitted over to a rock, leaning over to get a better look. She was taller than him, even now that he stood on the rock. _Well we'll just have to change that._ In one swift motion, he had a clump of her hair fisted in his claws, forcing her to lean down. Now he was taller.

"Where do you come from, girl?"

She winced. "I… s-spirit world."

"Your a ferry-girl then."

She nodded as best she could, wringing her hands. "I… I need help getting back. My oar broke and, and I…"

Hiei arched an eyebrow. Did she not know who he was? No. If she did, she wouldn't be asking for his assistance. Still, he's never met a ferry-girl before and seeing Spirit World could be beneficial in the future. He snapped his wrist, releasing her hair and pressing the bloodied blade of his weapon to her neck.

"I'll help you," he said, eyes dusting over with a dark glint. "But you are now in my dept."

Botan's eyes widened; a mix of fear and hope, albit her fear was much stronger. "You'll help me? Really?"

"That's what I said."

The ferry-girl offered a small smile through her tears. "Thank you."

Hiei nodded, brushing her words off. "Stay here," he hissed, "I'll be back later."

* * *

Hiei came back a few hours after the sunset, finding the ferry-girl in the same place he left her: up in one of his trees. He stopped a few feet away, watching the taller girl from his perch. Her hair looked like she commed it with her fingers and her long legs hung off the branch, swaying a little. Her pink kimono was torn beyond repair, exposing more skin that he was comfortable with. His crimson orbs trailed from her bare shoulder, down to her exposed side.

He scowled, ripping his eyes away from the ferry-girl.

She was a pest, but a useful pest.

"Girl."

Botan lifted her head, pink eyes shining like two flashlights. "Oh, your back."

Hiei ignored her greeting and shoved something into her face. "Eat."

Botan scooted back, getting a better look at the food he was rudely offering. It looked like a purple mango.

"Not that I don't appreciate the gesture, but… is it poison?"

Hiei arched an eyebrow. "Are you stupid? Why would I poison your food?"

"I just thought-"

"Don't," Hiei snapped, "now take it before I change my mind."

Botan blushed out of emberestement and carefully took his offering into her hands. The fruit smelt good and she _was_ hungry. Throwing caution to the wind, the ferry-girl took a modest bite, humming when the sweet fruit drentched her tongue.

"It's good."

"Hn."

He sat down, one hand on the hilt of his blade, the other on his knee and watched her eat. It got to the point where the ferry-girl couldn't swallow anymore and awkwardly shifted.

"You know," she whispered, "it's rude to stare."

"Hn."

He continued to stare, just to spite her.

Botan glanced down to the side, playing with the fruit in her hand. "It's rude to stare…" she echoed.

Hiei shrugged. "I do a lot of rude things."

He continued to watch her until the fruit was all gone, the only evidence that it had been in her hands was the stick juice dripping off her fingertips. Hiei eyed the appendages, his nose crinkled. If she didn't clean them, it would attract demons.

"Clean yourself."

Botan jumped when he spoke, trying to wipe her hands carefully on the bark.

Hiei hissed, catching her wrists. "Not like that." He squeezed her flesh as a warning, taking a split second to note how soft she felt. Without thinking, his tongue flicked out and licked off the juice from her fingers, bathing in the spike of fear and uncertainty that flooded the ferry-girl's scent. He let her go when he was done, watching her scoot away.

Her cheeks tinted a brilliant red. "Thank you?"

He gave her a twisted smirk, making sure to show off his sharp fangs, and disappeared from view.

* * *

He reappeared when the ferry-girl was fast asleep, her hair falling over her eyes in an almost peaceful way. It was an emotion Hiei was alien to. He crouched down, carefully watching her chest rise and fall. Her long hair fell limply all around her body, reaching down to her hips. He sniffed. _Vanilla_. She smelt like vanilla- sweet. He scowled. Of course, she was a ferry-girl, all of them must have such a sickly sweet scent attached to their bodies. _Fucking disgusting._

He stood, nudging her awake with his foot. "Get up, girl."

Botan murmured, rubbing her eyes. "Um, good morning. A-at least, I think it's morning. I've never been here before so I'm not all to sure how the weather works down here- oh! I didn't mean it that way. I didn't mean to offend you or anything!" She was waving her hands now.

He ignored her. "Tell me how you got here."

Botan seemed thankful for the subject change.

"I… well, I was suppose to scout the area for any wondering demons," Botan began, wringing her hands. "It was my first outing on my own, I had to beg Lord Koenma, but when I got too close to the ground, I… I sorta tripping over a rock and broke my oar." She sheepishly smiled.

Hiei blinked. This girl was an idiot.

"Do you have another?"

"Another what? Oh! No, I can only summon my broken oar."

The fire-demon had half a mind to collect a fist full of the girl's hair and give it a good pull. He didn't, his mind already working on a solution. If he remembered correctly, there was a town just past the woods, a small market like place where a welder lived. One who could repair damn well anything.

Hiei glanced down at the ferry-girl, who was wringing her hands again. He clicked his tongue.

"Give me the oar."

"W-what?"

He held out his clawed hand. "The oar. Hand it over, girl."

"I can't."

His eye ticked. "Why?"

Botan blushed, looking away. "I… I don't know how to. I can only hold it, I don't know how to…" She fumbled with her hands. "well, you know."

Damn it. That ment Hiei had to drag this ditz with him. He ran a clawed hand through his spiky hair and exhaled through his nose. "Your coming with me than."

"O-kay. Where?"

Hiei ignored her. "I'll be back tomorrow." And with that, he disappeared.

That night, Hiei stole a map from one of the bandits, studying it until the image was engraved into his mind. The town he was taking the ferry-girl to was dangerous and full of refugees and thiefs. A hole-in-the-wall town where seedy business was often conducted- Hiei smirked, he should know, he's done his share.

After making sure he knew the map inside and out, Hiei folded it back up and dropped it to the grounds, setting it aflame with his unholy fire.

* * *

"You brought me breakfast?"

"I don't need another corpse rotting in my forest," Hiei bit out, but that was only half the reason, the other half revolved around his personal interest in getting to Spirit World. If this girl died now, he'd have to find another way, and frankly, Hiei didn't have the time or patients to do that.

"Of course." Botan timidly touched her food, yelping when it jiggled and a red liquid oozed out. "Is it safe?"

"I told you before. I have no interest in poisoning you-" Hiei leaned in, pushing his claws into her hips and whispered into her ear, "- _yet."_

Botan paled, her body too frozen to move away. Her bones felt _cold_ and the blood in her body stilled. Thankfully the fire-demon was the first to act, putting distance between them.

"Now eat, or I'll shove it down your throat."

Gulping, the ferry-girl did as he said, taking a harty bite, humming in shock when the food actually tasted pretty good. The red liquid tasted a little like bitter jam and the crusted outside felt like a pastry. Was this really from Demon World?

"This is good."

Hiei leaned back against the tree, his hands positioned behind his head. "Hn."

"Is it from-"

"No."

"But it tastes like-"

Hiei growled, reaching out to grip the ferry-girl's arm. He watched her squirm in his grip, using her free hand to tap his knuckles pleadingly. He let her go forcefully, scowling.

"Don't make it a habit of jumping to conclusions," he threatened, "or have you never heard; curiosity killed the ferry-girl."


	2. Black Market

The trip down to the market was a tiresome one. Botan kept relatively to herself, awkwardly rubbing her hips or neck, twisting a piece of hair between her fingers. On occasion she'd speak up, asking what sort of plants where poisonous and what sort of tree's Hiei liked the best. If not to keep her curiosity at bay, it was to at least get a conversation going between the two.

Hiei scowled at the taller girl, restraining himself from slitting her throat.

"Shut up."

She did as he said, cheeks tinting an embarrassing shade of red. Tension and anxiety sat thickly on her shoulders and for the rest of the trip, she was silent.

When they reached the market, Botan could hardly contain her amazement. Fear forgotten, she marveled over the 'cute' stalls that littered the orange-red streets. The demons who owned the stalls didn't look as scary as they should. A few women where clad in dark yellow and orange kimonos, while some of the males wore loose pants and shirts- almost like warriors. Paper lanterns hung off of the buildings, lighting up the streets like fireflies.

"Oh wow," Botan whispered, cupping her cheek. "This is so pretty. Oh look-" She grasped Hiei's shoulder, pulling him to her side and pointing to a nearby stall.

The short demon scowled. "Shut the fuck up," he hissed into her side. "Or do you want to die that much? Demon World isn't pretty and if you keep talking, I will leave you here alone."

A semi-empty threat. He still needed her to get to Spirit World.

Botan stiffened and muttley nodded. She didn't want to anger her 'guide', so she quietly followed him around the marketplace. They passed a few more stalls, ducking past nosy demons and the such. So far, it was smooth sailing, but this was Demon World and nothing ever stayed smooth for long.

Botan felt a shiver run down her back and immediately tensed up. Her muscles froze and a cold sweat rolled down her spine, making her ripped kimono stick to her skin. She turned on her heel, spinning around, trying to find the source of her discomfort.

All she saw where eyes. Numorise eyes just watching her.

"Um, um, h-hey…," she mumbled, tugging on Hiei's torn cloak.

The short demon bristled. "What?"

"I… I… I don't… um, oh dear, I…"

Her stuttering was slowly starting to attract more wondering eyes.

It was going to cause a scene.

It was going to end with Hiei killing someone.

Annoyed, and at his wits end, Hiei grabbed her wrist and moved around the stalls faster. He tried to pay her the least amount of attention, focusing on getting her out of sight, but stopped when he heard Botan whimper. At first, he ignored it, squeezing her wrist tighter just to make a point. So she was scared, it didn't matter to him. It only became a problem when all he could smell was her rich fear, and as much as he enjoyed it, it was starting to mess with his sense of direction.

The moment his feet stopped moving, Botan grabbed his shoulder, her hand shaking.

He tilted his head her way, waiting for an answer.

"T-they won't stop staring at me," she whispered.

Hiei glanced around. Sure enough, most, if not all, the demons had their eyes glued to the ferry-girl. Of course her outlandish appearance didn't help: bright blue hair, bright pink eyes, tall, and clad in a ripped kimono. She was sure to draw attention, not to mention, her scent was a dead give away of her foreign nature. Hiei scowled and pulled her into an alleyway.

"Stupid girl," he hissed, giving her wrist a tug. She fell forward, but he caught her shoulders before her knees collided with the cracked cement. Quickly, Hiei threw his brown, torn cloak over her head, hiding her bright form in his dark attire.

It was almost as if he put out a candle.

Botan blinked, looking at the rag covering her. "What-"

"Wear it if you don't want to draw attention. Or don't. I don't really care."

Botan nodded, pulling the rag around her body, trying to cover her chest the best she could. "Thank you."

"Hn." He grabbed her wrist again, pulling her down the filthy street. His crimson eyes focused on the road ahead, but for some reason, his chest felt warmer. He brushed it aside and suffocated the feeling. Damn demon air finally getting to his head.

* * *

Botan sat on a wooden stool just outside the tent, swinging her legs back and forth. Hiei told her to wait here while he went inside to 'talk'. So to pass the time, Botan started counting the colorful leaves that crunched underneath her feet. There was an orange one, and a dark green one, and a yellow one, and a-

Someone grabbed her shoulder, giving it a violent gerk.

Before she could yell, someone put a hand over her mouth.

"Stop it," Hiei growled into her ear. "I need that damn oar of yours."

Still shaking, Botan summoned her broken oar, watching as the thing hung in the air for a second before tumbling to the floor. Hiei kicked it with his foot.

"Pick it up and follow me."

She hurriedly picked up her oar, and when Hiei wasn't looking, stuck her tongue out at him, before entering the tent. Inside, Botan saw a large, wooden desk littered with notes and schematics, a few thick tools sat in a heap in the corner, and something orange and shiny stood in the middle of the tent.

Botan nervously bit her nail, staying close to the fire-demon, and clutched her oar to her chest.

"So this is 'er?"

A big demon, with broad shoulders, came out from the back. His hair was long and course and he had half his ear cut off. Botan gulped and stuck her hand out awkwardly.

"Hello. I'm-"

"The infamous ferry-girl. I know." The demon smirked and shook her hand. "She a pretty pet."

Hiei scoffed. "Like I'd keep a pet. I need her oar fixed."

The demon glanced at the broken stick in Botan's hand, touching it with his claw. "This thing 'ere? Ya. I can do that."

Botan was about to hand her oar over, but stopped, holding it awkwardly. She took a deep breath, trying to extend her energy the best she could to keep it materialized, but was stopped by Hiei, who grabbed her arm and pulled her behind him. He used his other hand to pull his sword out and pointed it at the welder.

"Hand it over."

The welder's smirk grew and he tossed is knife, the one he'd been hiding behind his back, over to Hiei. Botan looked from the two, her mind a confused haze.

"Smart one." The wedler said, "Didn't think a kid would see through my little rouse."

Hiei scowled, opening his mouth for a comeback but stopped when he felt a feminine hand tap his shoulder. He looked up, eyeing the ferry-girl. "What?"

She blushed and knelt down, cupping her lips with her free hand. "I don't know how to give him my oar," she whispered.

Of course. Hiei almost forgot about that. He bit down a curse and extended his own spirit energy, using it to intermingle with hers, creating a barrier around her flying stick. When he was satisfied, he ripped the oar out of her hand and threw it at the wedler.

"Fix it. If you don't, I will kill you."

With that said, he pulled Botan out of the tent and sat her back down on her stool before disappearing in the blink of an eye, leaving the ferry-girl as confused as ever.

When her oar was finally fixed, Botan was able to banished it happily, thanking the welder. Hiei stood beside her, hands in his pockets, scowling. His mood worsens when the welder shot him a smug look, pointed at Botan when she wasn't looking, and did something lewd with his hands.

Hiei bit down a curse and grabbed the ferry-girl's arm, forcibly taking her far far away from the tent. They left the the market quickly after and the moment they reach Hiei's forest, he let her arm go, marching ahead of her. Botan blinked, glancing down at her hand and back over at the fire-demon's back. Her lips parted and she ran up to him, catching his shoulder.

"Thank you."

There it was again, those two words she had no problem throwing around.

"Don't thank me," Hiei hissed.

"Well why not?"

"I did nothing to warrant your praise."

"Oh don't be silly." She smiled, tugging on the cloak still over her head. "You gave me this, and you took me to that lovely place to get my oar fixed. That isn't nothing."

True, but that was all to benefit himself. He needed to fix her damn oar because he needed to get to Spirit World and he only gave her his cloak because fighting off all those demons was not something he had the time for. Still, he found himself quietly accepting her gratitude.

The walk back to his tree was quiet, but Botan still found time to talk and talk and talk, and this time, she did it without hesitation. Hiei scowled at her, perpahs he gave her to much comfort, yet when she smile down at him, despite his better judgment, Hiei let her keep her vocal cords.

When they reached his tree, he threw the girl over his shoulder and jumped up.

"Ah!" Botan covered her face. "Hey, can't you warn me next time?"

Hiei smirked and set her down on the branch. "No."

"Rude."

"I'm a rude person."

Her eyes softened and she pulled on his cloak again. "So… um-"

"Goodnight."

He didn't give her time to respond, disappearing from view before she could blink.


	3. Confusion or Progression?

"So, wait, you're telling me this whoooole place belongs to you?"

Hiei blinked. "Yes."

"Wow! I've never met someone who owned an actual forest! Oh, oh, are you one of those rich demons?"

"No."

Botan hummed, tapping her chin. "Right. Right. If you were rich, I don't think you'd be wearing clothes like that," she said, pointing to the torn clothes that hung loosely around Hiei's body, giggling when the short demon scowled.

"Wench," he hissed, clutching his katana.

"Relax you, I'm only kidding." Botan held up the fruit to her lips, taking another bite. "So does that mean you live in the forest?"

"On occasion."

"But don't you have a home?"

"... no."

Botan frowled. "I-"

"I don't need your pity because I don't care," Hiei quickly cut in. He smirked when her cheeks grew warm. "Finish eating ferry-girl. I have a few questions of my own."

"Oh, well ask away."

Hiei arched an eyebrow, but shrugged. "What rank do you fall under?"

"Rank? Ah, you must mean class. Well, I'm still in the beginner class, but teacher says I'll be able to take this exam soon, and if I pass, I'll be able to go out more and start ferrying souls. I'm so excited!"

"Hn. You aren't very strong, are you?"

Botan blushed again. "No… not really."

"Who's your king?"

"King?" Botan giggled, earning herself a growl from the short demon. She waved her hand and took another bite of her fruit. "We don't have a king, per se, but Lord Koenma is our boss. I guess he'd technically be our 'king'. Oh but there's also Lord Enma-- he's Lord Koenma's father. So I guess he'd be the king."

Hiei didn't question her further, her incisive babbling was starting to make his head spin. Instead, he took to watching her eat the fruit, tilting his head everytime she paused to look up at the sky. Sometimes it was because of a large bird, other times it was because 'the clouds looked pretty'. Hiei scoffed. Everything looked pretty to her.

When she finished, he caught her wrist again, licking her soft fingers clean. This time, Botan didn't flinch away, but she did avert her eyes. The fire-demon smirked. Modesty could get her killed in his world. Hiei could easily sink his claws into her exposed neck, and watch the crimson blood roll down her skin in fat droplets. He reached up, dragging his claws down her forearm.

Botan inhaled, but didn't dare move. It was almost as if he was examining her.

Hiei pinched a lock of blue hair between his claws, twirling it around. "Your hair's too long."

"I- I think its just fine. It's said that long hair gives you energy."

"That's bullshit."

Botan squeaked. Hiei smirked. It was common sense that she wouldn't be use to such profanity. Ferry-girls have pure ears, a voice quipped in the back of Hiei's mind, like an annoying rhythm.

"I… um… I…"

Hiei leaned in, so that his lips were mere centimeters from her ear and whispered, "keep talking and I'll slit your throat."

Botan quickly bit her lip.

Hiei continued to play with her hair, but soon, he stood up, coming just above her head. His claws left her strands and moved to rake through her bangs. The skin under his fingers felt soft, and reminded him of a few silk robes he stole a few months back.

Hiei leaned in again, inhaling her smell.

"Ferry-girl."

"Y-yes?" Botan squeaked.

"I hate your smell," he muttered and disappeared, leaving only his fleeting warmth to linger on her skin.


End file.
